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Anaximander

And the Nature of Science
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Brief Description
The bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics tells the thrilling story of one of the greatest intellectual leaps of all time. Over two millennia ago, a Greek philosopher had a number of wondrous insights that paved the way to cosmology, physics, geography, meteorology, and... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics tells the thrilling story of one of the greatest intellectual leaps of all time.

Over two millennia ago, a Greek philosopher had a number of wondrous insights that paved the way to cosmology, physics, geography, meteorology, and biology, setting in motion a new way of seeing the world. Anaximander's legacy includes the revolutionary idea that the earth floats in a void, that the world can be understood in natural rather than supernatural terms, that animals evolved, and that universal laws govern all phenomena. He introduced a new mode of rational thinking with an openness to uncertainty and to the progress of knowledge.

In this elegant work, acclaimed physicist Carlo Rovelli brings to light the importance of Anaximander's overlooked legacy to modern science. He examines Anaximander as a scientist interested in shedding light on the deep nature of scientific thinking, which Rovelli locates in his rebellious ability to reimagine the world again and again. Anaximander celebrates the radical lack of certainty that defines the scientific quest for knowledge.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781802063042

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 27 February 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin

Contributors:

  • Translated by Marion Lignana Rosenberg

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 14.0mm

Width: 120.0mm

Height: 190.0mm

Weight: 180g

Pages: 240

About the Author

Carlo Rovelli is a theoretical physicist who has made significant contributions to the physics of space and time. He has worked in Italy and the US, and is currently directing the quantum gravity research group of the Centre de physique theorique in Marseille, France. His books Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Helgoland, Reality Is Not What It Seems and The Order of Time are international bestsellers which have been translated into forty-three languages.

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